Shareholder Plaintiffs In Merger Lawsuit Accuse Vince McMahon, Triple H, And Nick Khan Of Destroying Evidence
The latest update in the WWE shareholder lawsuit.
According to Brandon Thurston of POST Wrestling, the plaintiffs are accusing Vince McMahon, Nick Khan, Stephanie McMahon, Triple H, and Brad Blum of destruction of relevant evidence, including Signal messages and McMahon’s handwritten notes, regarding the WWE merger that led to the formation of TKO.
They are asking the Delaware Chancery Court to sanction the defendants: Vince, Khan, and Triple H. Stephanie and Blum are not defendants in the lawsuit.
According to the filing, all five, “failed to preserve communications despite multiple notices from WWE’s legal team to do so.”
The filing alleges that Vince McMahon, Stephanie McMahon, and Khan met with Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel and President Mark Shapiro on December 13, 2022, just weeks before McMahon exercised his controlling interest in WWE and returned to the company. Upon returning, Vince immediately pushed to explore a sale or merger.
Khan is characterized as “spearheading” communications on Signal, which allows users to auto-delete messages on a timer. It is also alleged that Khan deleted conventional text messages, which plaintiffs say, based on context, included merger discussions and the investigation of alleged misconduct by McMahon.
The lawsuit, which was filed in 2023, alleges that McMahon predetermined the transaction with Endeavor to secure his continued role at the company in light of the sexual misconduct scandal surrounding him, rather than shopping WWE to maximize shareholder value.
Unsealed documents show that Vince and Emanuel were in communication throughout the summer of 2022
The lawsuit is currently scheduled to go to trial in June 2026.
